A machine at the offices of WMS Gaming, located at 3401 N. California in Chicago. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)

Shares of Waukegan-based WMS Industries Inc. fell more than 17 percent Tuesday, a day after the slot-machine maker warned that its third-quarter earnings would miss Wall Street expectations.

After the market’s close Monday, WMS said sluggish demand for its slot machines meant it would likely earn 40 cents to 42 cents a share on revenue of $191 million to $193 million for its fiscal third quarter. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted the company would earn 52 cents a share. Get the full story »

Rising oil prices are unlikely to push up core inflation and thus should not trigger any interest-rate hikes from the U.S. Federal Reserve, according to research from a top Fed official on Monday. Get the full story »

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. is standing up to its biggest burger rival, McDonald’s Corp., by putting its marketing dollars toward gaining more french fry market share. By changing its recipe to differ more from McDonald’s french fries, Wendy’s is choosing to compete by being unique, rather than solely by trying to be better.

“French fries are a significant part of our menu,” said Ken Calwell, Wendy’s chief marketing officer. “And it’s so hard to have something unique and different, that still tastes good, in the fast-food industry. So, we see the new fries as a huge opportunity for us.” Get the full story »

The U.S. government has prevented more than 350 people suspected of ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups from boarding U.S.-bound commercial flights since the end of 2009, The Associated Press has learned. Get the full story »

The state of Illinois might be notorious for its financial troubles, but at least it barely cracked the Top 10 of states with the most bank robberies in 2010, according to newly released statistics from the FBI. Get the full story »

McDonald’s Corp. Chief Executive Jim Skinner received a total of $9.7 million in compensation in 2010, including his roughly $42,000 annual salary increase and a 38 percent increase in his annual performance bonus. Get the full story »

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, right, listens to a question from the media after a speech at a conference on global capital markets in Washington, March 30, 2011. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

When Jamie Dimon, the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co., finally sold his Gold Coast mansion at 25 E. Banks St. in 2010 after it had been on the market three years, the real estate crisis prevented him from getting the more than $13 million he originally wanted.

But he did get help from JPMorgan, which paid $421,458 in expenses related to the sale, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing made public yesterday. Get the full story »

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Thursday high oil prices posed a threat to the global economy. “The oil producer countries and the oil consuming countries are concerned because it does have an impact on a very fragile economic recovery. There is great concern,” Chu told a news conference while attending a clean energy conference. Get the full story »

There are some signs that airlines are starting to take their foot off the pedal after pushing through more than six major fare increases in the first three months of the year.

March may have been a turning point. A $10 fare increase launched March 9 by American Airlines and two other $10 round-trip fare hikes launched by United Airlines were rolled back after some competitors declined to push their prices higher. And some ticket prices showed sharp price drops in the second half of the month. Get the full story »

Startup advertising firm Adzookie has latched on to a high-profile way to publicize itself: by turning homes into massive billboards. In exchange, Adzookie says it will pay the house owner’s mortgage every month for as long as the home stays painted.

Adzookie launched the offer on its website Tuesday — and by late afternoon, the company had already received more than 1,000 applications, according to Adzookie CEO Romeo Mendoza. One even came from a church. Get the full story »

A bankruptcy auction for movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc kicked off with a $284 million bid from Dish Network Corp on Tuesday, quickly topped by bids from rival groups led by billionaire Carl Icahn and hedge fund Monarch Alternative Capital

The auction in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan will decide the fate of the movie rental chain, which filed for bankruptcy last September. The company put itself up for sale in February after a reorganization plan fell apart. Get the full story »